You would think they would have a way to see below, but I guess that wasn't big on their minds when designing this plane.

These pilots are insanely precise, as you can see in this video. At one point he mentions the lights on the flight deck and how the pilots utilize
them to land in the same spot, every time. My very good friend is an Apache helicopter crew chief and while that position is nowhere near piloting the
AV-8B, the amount of precision and repeatability that is drilled into these guys is (in my opinion) unmatched.

It's similar to how we develop the skill to drive our cars in a straight line without crossing the painted lines on the road, all without being able
to actually see the lines. Except these pilots do it it multimillion dollar machines, at extremely high speeds, and sometimes with highly explosive
things bolted to their underside

The "stool" is specifically built for the Harrier and for instances like this, which leads me to believe this isn't the first time it has happened.
The rig is also attached to the deck to prevent it from tipping over when hit by the jet blast or an of center strike by the nose.

The "stool" is specifically built for the Harrier and for instances like this, which leads me to believe this isn't the first time it has
happened.
The rig is also attached to the deck to prevent it from tipping over when hit by the jet blast or an of center strike by the nose.

I was wondering about the stool, because you can't just throw anything out there and hope it works.

Probably enough to make you want to get into the stool business, lol. I heard some horror stories when I was in the Air Force about mechanics and
techs leaving a nut or a bolt in the wrong place, or forgetting some minor thing, and that thing bringing down an aircraft or causing a malfunction. I
suppose this is why they stress "attention to detail" so much. That is why pefection is stressed starting in basic training. I do not know the cause
of the malfunction in this instance, and I suppose things worked out okay for everyone...The stool might have been a bit upset though.

Hey, thats pretty neat! I was a part of the supply shop for 2nd Bn, 2nd Marines in 2006 when we were on the 26th MEU, and I sailed on the Bataan.
Kinda cool to see this vid. We had HMM-264 attached at the time. I always enjoyed going up top to wear some of the flags were kept (I have no idea
what that spot was actually called, but if I remember right it was above and behind the bridge..) and watching the various goings on around the
deck.

Some of the best pilots in the Marine Corps are Harrier pilots, probably some of the best in any military. First time I've ever heard there was a
stool for that sort of thing though, cool.

No expert but that stool thingie I bet cost about the same as a business class car with all the optional extras, and if it only got used the once and
thrown overboard straight after, well it paid for it's self a couple of thousand times over!

Without that thing best case scenario is some pretty expensive damage, worst case aircraft is lost over the side and hopefully the pilot can punch
out, and pilots cost a lot to replace too.

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